Geoege henry life



(No Model.)

G. H. LIPE.

GAR GOUPLING.

No. 340,447. t lPatented Apr. 20, 1886.

h WW

f "Jgm/ di 1y I IN VENTOR f1 @M wl, BY UM/M.,

ATTORN S.

' "UNITED STATES PATENT GEORGE HENRY LIPE, OE CHINA GROVE, NORTH CAROLINA.V

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 340,447, dated April 20, 1856.

Application tiled December 4, 1885. Serial No. 184,675. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern..-

Be it known that I, GEORGE HENRY LIPE, of China Grove, in the county of Rowan, and State of North Carolina, have invented a new and Improved 'Car-Coupling, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to carcouplings of that class in which the couplingpin is supported by an apertured sliding plate, which is forced back by the approaching car to allow 'the coupling pin to i'allto coupling position; and the invention has for its special object to provide for easily uncoupling cars jammed or crowded together when they stop.

The invention consists in certain novel fea tures of construction and combinations of parts of the car-coupling, all as hereinafter fully set forth.

Reference is to be had'to the` accompanying drawings, forming part of this speciication,

iu which similar letters of reference indicate.

corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a perspective view of the front part of one of my improvedI car-couplings, partly brok en away and -in section. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation thereof, showing the coupling-pin raised in posit-ion for coupling as the cars come together. Fig. 3 is a detail longitudinal sectional elevation showing the coupliug-pin-holding slide forced in and the coupling-pin raised and held as when uncoupling cars which are jammed tightly together. Fig. 4 is a plan view, with the drawlIead and coupling-piu in section, on the line x as, Fig. 2, and shows the couplingvpin raised prior to coupling with an approaching car. Fig. 5 is a like View with thecoupling-pin down, as when the cars are coupled; and Fig. is a cross-sectional elevation taken ou the line y y, Fig. 5.

The draw-head A, which may be fitted to the car in any approved way, has a linkre ceiving socket, a, which preferably is broad and quite narrow vertically, to support the coupling-link B about in horizontal position, as in Fig. 2.

The coupling-pin C is formed with a broadened rectangularly-shaped portion, c, between its upper and lower round parts, o c2, respectively, and theV pin is fitted in a vertical hole in the draw-head, the upper part, d, of which hole is shaped to it the part c of the pin,

and has front and rear vertical central grooves at d d', Figs. 2 and 3, to give space for the expansion of the spiral spring D, which is placed on the upper round part, c', of the pin, and acts between the upper shoulders of the part c of the pin and a cap, E, held at the top of the draw-head, to force the coupling-pin G downward,as hereinafter more fully explained. The lower part, d, of the coupling-pin hole is formed partly above and partly below the link-socket a, whereby stop -shoulders are vformed at d, to limit the descent of the pin.

(See Fig. 6.)

In a'horizontal recess ofthe draw-head, above the link socket (t, is tittedto slide the couplingpiu trip-plate F, which is enlarged atits,outer end to form shoulders f, which strike shouldersf of the trip-plate recess when the plate -is forced inward by the draw-head of an approaching car, andsprings G G,`11eld on stems gg, projecting from the back end of the tripplate, force the plate forward, so it normally projects in front of the draw-head, as in Figs. 1, 2, and 4. The outward movement of the trip-plate is limited by the contact of the back wall of the rear part, h of a -I-shaped slot or hole, H, madein the trip plate with the pin C, and through which part h the lower round part, ci, only of the coupling-pin may pass, while the rectangular part c of the pin will pass freely through the forward'widened part,h',of the trip-plate hole H. The part cof the coupling-pin is long enough to hold the tripplate back when the pin is down. (See Figs. 5 and 6.) Y

' In a cavity in the headof the tripplate F is tted to slide a latch-plate, I, and a spring, J, in front of the latch-plate normally forces it backward toward the coupling-pin C. The plate I preferably'is held in place squarely across the draw-head by screws or pins K K, which are passed into the trip-plate F and through slots k k of the plate I, said screws K K limiting the backward movement of the plate I, the rear edge of which is notched, as at t', allowing the side parts, i i', at the back of the plateat each side, to be forced by the spring J beneath the lower end or shoulders of the part cof the raised pin, while the lower round part of the pin enters the notch t', as shown in Fig. 3.

The cap E is litted on a plate or neck, L,

which is shown made separate from the drawhead, but may be cast on it, and said neck -L has two diametrically-opposite angular slots, ZZ, which have vertical portions opening at the top of' the neck and horizontal parts at the sides of the neck. A pin, Z', passed through` one side of the cap E,and a set-screw, Z, passed through the opposite side of the cap, may be passed down through the vertical parts of the slots l l, and the cap then will be turned to carry the ends of the pin and screw l' l2 into the horizontal parts of the slotsll, and the screw Z'l then will be tightened to hold the cap E in place, so it will hold the spring D under conipression between it and the rectangular part c ofthe coupling-pin.

By removing the cap E the coupling-pin C, and also the trip-plate F and its springs G, may be removed at any time for repair or renewal.

The operation is as follows: When the coupling-pin C is pulled up against the tension of the spring D,the springs Ginstantly will force the trip-plate F forward, so that the pin Cwill rest, by its rectangular part c,on the top of the plate F behind the part h of' the slot H, as in Fig. 4. As the cars come together, the tripplate F will be forced inward, and as the spring D holds the lower shoulders of the part e of the pin snugly to the top of' the part of the trip-plate at the sides ofthe slot h, and as the latch-plate I stands above this plane when the trip-plate is pushed in by the advancing car, the latch-plate will strike the lower end of the part c of' the coupling-pin, and will be pushed forward by the pin and against the tension of the spring .I until the part c of the pin coincides with the part hof the slotin the trip-plate, whereupon the spring D acts instantly to force the coupling-pin down through the link B of the advancing car which had just entered the draw-head, as in Fig. 5.

To uncouple the cars when they are not jammed together, the pin C of one draw-head will be pulled up, and thesprings G will carry the trip-plate forward, when the part c ofthe pin passes above the trip-plate on which the raised pin will be held by the spring D, as in Fig. 2.

Should the cars stop jammed or crowded together,the trip-plates F of the couplings will be forced fully inward, and thelatch-plates I will rest with their rear edges against the fronts of the parts c of the coupling-pins, and will then be pressed outward against the tension of their springs J, and so that when one ofthe coupling-pins is pulled upward the plate I of' that coupling will be forced by its spring J beneath the rectangular part c of the raised coupling-pin, and wiil hold up the pin when it is released from the hand and is forced downward by the spring D, and as shown in Fig. 3. Should thejannned cars now be drawn apart the tri p-plate F through 'which the raised the forward edges of the lower shoulders of' the part c of the pin will. not pass from the tops of the rear parts, 'i' fi', of the latch-plate I as it is carried f'orward by the trip-plate until the shoulders hl h2 at the back of the part h of the pin-hole pass under the part c of the pin, it is obvious that the pin will be held up in the part h of the hole H, and the link may be drawn from the draw-head, leaving the coupling set ready for automatically coupling onto the link of' another car as occasion may require.

The cap E may be held to the neck L, or a projection on the draw-head, or to a flat top of the draw-head by means of screws or pins in any approved way; but the fastening by means of the /-shaped slots l and pin and Screw l Zz is at present preferred. y

I extend the link-socket a behind the coupling-pin hole for a distance a very little more than the thickness of the end of the couplinglink,whereby heavy strains on the link or pin will be avoided as the cars start.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a car-coupling. the combination, with the draw-head, a coupling-pin held vertically therein, and a spring-pressed trip-plate, F,'of a spring-pressed latch-plate, I, held to slide in plate F, and notched at i at its rear edge and slotted at lc, and the limiting-screws K, passed through slots 7c, substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purposes set forth.

2. In carcouplings, the combination of the draw-head having a link-socket, a, the coupling-pin C, having a rectangular part, c, and fitted in aver-tical hole in the draw-head, having stop-shoulders at d, atrip-plate, F, springs forcing` saidplate forward beyond the face of the draw-head, and said plate being slotted vertically at H, to support the pin and let it f'all, a spring-pressed latch-plate, I, fitted to the trip-plate F, and adapted to operate with the coupling-pin substantially as specified, a spring, D, on the pin C, above the art c. and a removable cap, E, secured to the draw-head above the spring, substantially as herein set forth.

3. In car-couplings, the combination, with the draw-head socketed at a, a trip-plate,`as at F, and a couplingpin C, and spring D, adapted to operate with the trip-plate F, substantiallyas specified, of a neck or projection, L, on the draw-head, provided with opposite angular slots Z Z, and a cap, E, provided with a pin, l', and screw Z2. adapted to the slots Z, substantially as herein set forth.

GEORGE HENRY LIPE.

Ifitnesses:

J. A. FISHER, J. R. SMITH.

rcs

IIO

IIS 

